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Mangalore Hajj pilgrims stranded in Jeddah, forced to starve

December 6, 2010

hajo

Mangalore: A group of 220 Haj pilgrims returning to Mangalore were stranded at King Abdul Azeez International Airport at Jeddah on Sunday for more than 10 hours without food.

According to information reaching here, the group comprising many old pilgrims were stranded following revision of the flight schedule. “From 8 a.m. till about 6 p.m., we did not get any food. Appeals to the Indian Embassy and airport officials also did not help,” said Abdul Rahiman (41), a former Uppinangadi Gram Panchayat president, who is among the pilgrims.

Unhappy with food

Speaking to The Hindu from Jeddah, Mr. Rahiman said that even the food that was offered to the pilgrims late in the evening was not palatable, and many pilgrims are complaining of sickness.

The group has pilgrims from Mangalore, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu and Udupi.

It was after Mangalore MLA U.T. Khader intervened that the pilgrims received food, said the spokesperson of Karnataka Haj Committee, Abdul Wajeed, who confirmed that the pilgrims were stranded. However, since the airport had a hectic international schedule, flight schedule has got revised, he added.

The flight that was to land in Mangalore at 10 p.m. on Sunday night will now reach at 8 a.m. on Monday.

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News Network
January 25,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 25: Orange vendor Harekala Hajabba, popularly known as 'Akshara Santha' (the saint of alphabets), who went on to build a school at Newpadpu village on the city’s outskirts in 1999 is among this year’s Padma Shri awardees.

When Hajabba received the call on being nominated for the award, he was standing in a queue to buy rations.

As he is not fluent in Hindi, Hajabba handed over the phone to an auto driver, who conveyed the news that the Padma Shri award will be conferred on him.

The unlettered achiever set up a primary school from his meagre savings of Rs 150 per day,  selling oranges in Mangaluru. 

“The first time I felt bad for being an illiterate was when a foreigner enquired about the price of oranges in English. I did not know what he meant. So, I decided to start a school in my village,” Hajabba had said during a felicitation programme.

When Hajabba decided to start a school, he did not get any support. He started the school with 28 children.

The school today has been upgraded to a composite high school and is catering to the educational needs of hundreds of children in and around Newpadpu.

He ran from pillar to post in the Zilla Panchayat to make his dream come true. All cash awards he had received went into building the school. The United Christians Association, moved by the sight of his dilapidated house, built a 760-square-foot house costing Rs 15 lakh for him. 

Hajabba’s life was prescribed for the syllabus of three universities - Davangere, Kuvempu and Mangalore. His success story is also included in a Tulu textbook.

He won the Karnataka Rajyotsava award in 2013, Real Heroes award from TV channel CNN-IBN.

Hajabba, when contacted, said he could not believe his ears when told about the award.

New dreams

The frail vendor, in his 60s, humbly declared that he could achieve all this because of the support of all. Hajabba now dreams of upgrading the school into a full-fledged PU college.

Comments

Meethal Kasaragod
 - 
Sunday, 26 Jan 2020

A big Salute to him!

Great effort,

fairman
 - 
Sunday, 26 Jan 2020

Where there is will, there is way

May God help him.

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News Network
May 4,2020

Udupi, May 4: Udupi Deputy Commissioner G Jagadeesha said that mechanised boat fishing will be permitted in Udupi district in another two days.

He further said that the decision was taken after the district was declared as a Green Zone as no fresh cases of COVID-19 were reported from the district in the past several days.

The Deputy Commissioner told the media here that fishing will be permitted but social distancing has to be practised and only 30 boats will be permitted in a day.

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News Network
August 6,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 5: A red alert has been issued in several districts in Karnataka due to heavy rainfall in the state since last two-three days, the India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday.

"Red alert has been announced in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, Chickamagalur, Shivamogga, Kodagu and Hassan, due to heavy rainfall in the region from last two-three days," CS Patil, Director, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Bengaluru said.

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